Accountable Produce is Medicine Act of 2026

This bill mandates the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to establish and test the Accountable Produce is Medicine Bundled Payment Model . The model's primary goal is to reduce diet-related chronic diseases and associated healthcare costs by integrating evidence-based food-is-medicine interventions into healthcare delivery. Congress finds that such interventions, including medically tailored meals, produce prescriptions, and nutrition counseling, have significant potential to improve health outcomes and reduce expenditures. Under this model, CMMI must select at least five eligible programs to participate for a minimum of two years, prioritizing those that furnish fresh, healthy fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense plant-based foods. Eligible individuals include those covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP, residing in medically underserved or rural areas, and suffering from chronic conditions like diabetes, obesity, or cardiovascular disease. These individuals must also be deemed likely to benefit from and prepared to participate in the program. Selected programs will provide a year-long package of Accountable Produce is Medicine (APIM) services , which include personalized health risk assessments, care coordination, telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and lifestyle modification programs with nutrition counseling. Crucially, these services also encompass the provision of healthy, nutrient-dense foods. Payments to programs will be bundled and provided without any cost-sharing for eligible participants, with the model slated to run for at least five years.